Allahabad High Court Commutes Death Sentence of S Manjunath's Killer

Strategic Insights -

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court commuted the death sentence of Pawan Kumar Mittal, the main accused in the murder of Indian Oil Corporation officer S Manjunath. The court ruled that the conviction did not fall in the category of "rarest of rare" cases, changing his sentence to a life term. Manjunath was shot dead on November 19, 2005, for trying to prevent the adulteration of petroleum products at Lakhimpur Kheri. The court also set aside the conviction of two other accused, Harish Mishra and Sanjay Awasthi, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Lakhimpur District and Sessions Court on March 26, 2007.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court commuted the death sentence of Pawan Kumar Mittal, the main accused in the murder of Indian Oil Corporation officer S Manjunath.
  • The court ruled that the conviction did not fall in the category of "rarest of rare" cases, changing his sentence to a life term.
  • Manjunath was shot dead on November 19, 2005, for trying to prevent the adulteration of petroleum products at Lakhimpur Kheri.
  • The court also set aside the conviction of two other accused, Harish Mishra and Sanjay Awasthi, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Lakhimpur District and Sessions Court on March 26, 2007.
  • The court upheld the conviction and sentence of life imprisonment awarded to five others, Devesh Agnihotri, Rakesh Anand, Shive Kesh Giri alias Lalla, Vivek Sharma, and Rajesh Verma.
  • Monu Mittal is the son of Sulakshan Mittal, owner of the Mittal Automobile petrol pump at Gola in Lakhimur Kheri, and was motivated to kill Manjunath due to a strong motive.
  • The court cited several cases, including that of Nalini, a co-accused in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, to commute Mittal's sentence.
  • The court also rejected Monu's plea for a transfer from Kheri district jail to Central Jail, Bareilly, or any other central jail.

Statistics:

  • November 19, 2005: The date of S Manjunath's murder.
  • March 26, 2007: The date of the Lakhimpur District and Sessions Court's sentencing of Harish Mishra and Sanjay Awasthi.
  • Life imprisonment: The sentence awarded to five accused, Devesh Agnihotri, Rakesh Anand, Shive Kesh Giri alias Lalla, Vivek Sharma, and Rajesh Verma.
  • 5: The number of accused who received life imprisonment.
  • 2: The number of accused, Harish Mishra and Sanjay Awasthi, whose conviction was set aside by the Allahabad High Court.

Sources:

  • The Indian Express Limited, 2009
  • Contify.com